District of Columbia (D.C.) Law
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Note: Historical Research
This page discusses current sources.
Historical D.C. legislative history research is discussed in the "Historical Research" section of this guide.
Bills
A Council member, independent agencies, or the Mayor may introduce a piece of legislation (i.e, "bill").
"Permanent" legislation is the most common legislation and is the focus of this discussion.
At the time a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee with expertise over the subject matter the bill addresses.
A committee is not obligated to review or consider a bill. If the committee chooses not to review a bill during the 2-year Council Period, the bill "dies" and must be re-introduced when a new Council convenes.
When a bill is introduced, it receives a filing number.
Example:
B23-0018, Ghost Guns Prohibition Amendment Act of 2019
23 = D.C. Council Period
0018 = Sequential number assigned to the bill
- Bill Text
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Note: Notices of new legislation introduced can be found in the D.C. Register, listed under "Bills Introduced and Proposed Resolutions > Notice of Intent to Act on New Legislation." - Legislative Bill Tracking
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- Council Members' Introductory Remarks
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Note: Council member's introductory remarks are not found in the D.C. Register. However, introductory remarks may be found on a Council member's website. - Statements on Legislation Proposed by D.C. Mayor
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Comments on legislation being proposed by the Mayor may be found by searching the Executive Office of the Mayor press releases.
Hearings
Hearings are required on permanent legislation before the legislation is voted on by the Council of the District of Columbia.
If the committee chooses to review a bill, then it will normally conduct a hearing. The committee will receive testimony in support of or against the bill.
- Hearing notice
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Notices of hearings on legislation are required to be published in the D.C. Register. - Witness list & agenda
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Circulated ahead of time; contact the committee to obtain a copy of the witness list. - Written testimony
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Maintained by committee and included in committee reports.
Committee Meetings (Mark-up)
Committee meeting mark-ups apply only to permanent legislation.
- Advanced Notice of Committee Meetings
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Published in the D.C. Register. - Committee Print
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Contains the draft of the bill to be voted on. - Committee Report
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After voted on by committee, a committee report is posted on Legislative Information Management System (LIMS).
- D.C. Courts Libraries, D.C. Legislative History Collection makes available committee reports, searchable by D.C. Law number or keyword. Email the Libraries' Ask a Librarian and they will provide them with a pdf copy of the committee report that relates to the DC Law number.
- D.C. Council member's comments
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Video available of committee meetings.
First Readings
The first reading of a piece of legislation applies only to permanent and temporary legislation.
Legislation is referred to Committee of the Whole and voted on.
- Consent vote
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Included on the Council of the District of Columbia's agenda and available on the Council website. - Discussion/Debate
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Video available on the Council of the District of Columbia's website. - Amendments
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Required to be written. - Engrossed Bill
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Amended version of a bill reflecting changes made during the legislative process. Usually, a clean, official version is printed.
Mayoral Action
- Enrolled Bill
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Final version of the legislation that is sent to the Mayor. A copy can be found in the D.C. Register. The Mayor can sign or veto the legislation. - Mayor's Signing Statement
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The Mayor may comment on a piece of legislation that has been signed into law. These comments may be found by searching the Executive Office of the Mayor News Room website.
After being passed by the D.C. Council and signed by the Mayor, an enrolled bill is assigned an Act number. The Act number appears on the first page of the legislation. The text of the Act is printed in the D.C. Register.
Example:
A15-0311, Distracted Driving Safety Act of 2004
A = Act
15 = D.C. Council Period
0311 = Sequential number assigned to the Act
U.S. Congressional Approval
A notice of approval of the Act appears in the D.C. Register.
The D.C. Law number of the Act is printed in the notice.
However, only the text of the Act appears in the D.C. Register; the text with the Law number is not printed in the D.C. Register because it is identical to the previously published Act text.
Example:
L15-124, Distracted Driving Safety Act of 2004
L = Law
15 = D.C. Council Period
124 = Sequential number assigned to the law
- D.C. Register: Notice of approval of Acts
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- D.C. Laws: full text
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Related Guides
- "Chapter 1: Finding the Law" in Volume 1, The District of Columbia Practice Manual
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(The District of Columbia Bar) - Legislative Information Management System (LIMS): Search Help
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(Council of the District of Columbia) - District of Columbia Resources
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(Georgetown Law Library) - Guide to Law Online: U.S. Washington, D.C.
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(Law Library of Congress)